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I was a lot more active in my youth.

Not only did I bike everywhere, because I couldn’t drive, but I walked 2 miles (each way) to school, and I took dance classes several times a week. Trust me when I say that dance gear has gotten a lot better looking in the past 15 years! Back in my day, you were hot in a one piece cat suit and some leg warmers. Ick! It was either that or tights (usually white) and a leotard (usually black). We had to travel to a specialty store to get footless or stirrup tights! You kids today have it easy, with the internet - you can go online to a store like Just For Kix and get dance tights, unitards, warm up gear, tutus, and costumes too! The site offers footless tights, body stockings, specialty stockings (excellent for recitals and costumes), and even special sizes for children and toddlers.

Zumba will be the death of me.

I thought I was in good shape, but last night there were little old ladies that put me to shame. An hour of bouncing and jumping and prancing and dancing kicked my ass! Our instructor was…interesting. If you’ve ever seen The Family Guy, you’ve probably seen the character of Mort Goldman. If you haven’t, he’s a sterotypical Jewish guy. Picture a gay Mort Goldman, approximately 60 years old, wearing a Nike headband, and shaking his booty to Shakira, and you’ve got the Zumba instructor I had last night.

I’m in Pittsburgh right now for a business trip, and last night I took a quick walk around the downtown area to see the sights. Walking is one of the best ways to see a city, I think! It certainly wasn’t enough to count for a training walk, and the amount of food and beer I’ve ingested over the past few days hasn’t helped, so I need to kick it into full gear when I get back home to Florida.

I was asked to go to the YMCA yesterday to attend a class with a friend, but I had to say no. There’s no way I could keep up in Powerflex, as sore as I am! My lower back is the worst. I feel it every time I walk around. Going up the 3 flights of stairs today at work was pure torture!

I’m off to the YMCA this afternoon to try a Zumba class, or all things! (Not my idea, LOL!) I’ve heard Zumba can be a bit addicting. Anything will be better than the lame-o tai chi class I tried last year, that was full of little old ladies.

Zumba is inspired by Latin dance, and it’s a mix of movement, dance, aerobics, and it gives your heart a fantastic workout. I don’t think I’ll get to the YMCA early enough for my regular warm up, so I hope I can handle the heat!

I went to the YMCA last night, for the first time since we’ve moved. When I left, my legs felt like Jello. I did a warm up on the treadmill, a few of the machines for my hamstrings and quads, and then the elliptical. Surprisingly, I am not sore today. Maybe I’m in better shape than I thought I was? I need to get back in the habit of going to the YMCA 2 or 3 times a week. I’m a naughty 3-Day slacker on my training.

Something that most of you online don’t know about me is that I took dance lessons for years. I started with ballet when I was 4, and continued taking ballet until I was 15 or 16. I also took several years of tab, jazz, and even acrobatics. But ballet was my thing. When I was in middle school, I got to go en pointe for the first time, and I loved it. Ballet, and other dance, although it looks easy, requires muscles most people don’t even know they have. It’s a fantastic workout.

Because of my interest in ballet, my mother started taking me to see the Nutcracker ballet each year. A local theater by the name of Ruth Eckerd Hall always had the Nutcracker every year at Christmas, and it was always a wonderful troupe, usually the Russian ballet, who would perform. Of course, if you’ve ever seen the Nutcracker, you know that there are quite a few parts for children, and children don’t usually travel with a professional ballet company. Because of this, each town that the Nutcracker traveled to would hold Nutcracker auditions a few months before the show for children who wished to join the show when it came to town. I was never one who tried out, I was quite content to keep performing on a much smaller stage. I did perform a solo though, when I was in high school, at the performance of my own dance troupe, to music from the Nutcracker. I loved it that much! (I love most of Tchaikovsky’s work). I used the piece known as the “Chinese Dance”, because the choreography in the real ballet was a favorite of mine. I did my own choreography of course, but the music inspired me.

I haven’t seen the show in years now, but my mother takes MY little girls to see it each year. I should join them sometime! When I hear the music, it always reminds me of Christmas and my solo.

I’m hoping with summer coming, and having a break from all of our normal activities, that I’ll find the time to take a class over at the YMCA. I’ve love to try something like yoga. Sometimes my days are so hectic that I need to force myself to slow down, and yoga seems like a good way to make myself have that one quiet time a week, where I can focus just on relaxing, and I’m not talking about the kind of relaxing I do in front of the television. Most of the YMCA classes ask that you bring your own supplies, like yoga mats, so I’m on the lookout for one that I can buy that’s relatively inexpensive, should I decide the whole yoga thing isn’t my cup of tea.

I’m not sure if I ever posted about this, but my sister and I tried tai-chi at the YMCA once. Soooo not for me. Reminds me too much of the ballet lessons that I took for years, except it wasn’t nearly as graceful or pretty to watch as ballet was.

A lot of people (women in particular I think) hope to find romance at the gym. I’ve often though that gyms and the YMCA should set up events for singles to meet and work out together. If you can’t get hooked up with a hottie while you work out, you could always try a dating site. Make a new friend and get a workout. Put in your profile that you’re into long walks on the beach (5 miles or more!), dinners by candlelight (protein bar and a power shake!) and quiet evenings at home (on the treadmill!) Best of all, the site is 100% free to use - you NEVER need to give up your credit card numbers to find yourself the perfect workout partner